Sunday 15 July 2007

Hands off...

my body, Sir Liam Donaldson.

The Chief Medical Officer wants everyone to be treated as organ donors after their death, unless they explicitly opt out of the scheme.

Sorry, Sir Liam. If I die, those who need it are welcome to any part of my body which might be useful. But it is my body to give (by permission of my family), not yours to take. If this proposal is adopted, I will opt out.

I am a gentle and mild-mannered person. However, I do not think I would be the only one. I do not accept that the state owns my body.

9 comments:

Seeing Blindman said...

aye. wise.

Z said...

Thank you, Seeing Blindman and hello - you quite startled me there. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before and am agog to visit.

y.Wendy.y said...

The more I read about the UK government the more I am aghast at how they think they own their citizens.

I would opt out too, just to make a point, which is so sad because like you, I'd give any of my organs if it could help someone.

But this...this is so WRONG. I hope a hell of a lot of people feel as you do and react in the same way.

The Brits need to start stand up and shout until they are heard.

Z said...

To be fair, Wendz, the government haven't said anything - this is the CMO, and the British Medical Association has said it before. They find it frustrating that so many people say they are willing for their organs to be used, and yet so few carry donor cards.

I'm in exactly that situation myself. And the reason? - I don't quite trust them. I can't help wondering if, were I to carry a card and then have a serious accident, I might just be regarded by a surgeon with a long waiting list of deserving people, who knew them and didn't know me, as a barely-breathing collection of spare parts. Not intentionally but subconsciously, he might try not quite so hard to save my life.

Untrusting? I trust my family to make the decision at the time. Why should I trust anyone else?

However, Belgium passed this law in 1986 and Spain in 1989.

Anonymous said...

I can't say I disagree with wendz about the government owning us all...

If this idea becomes law, then there absolutely must be a clause that says that anyone who has opted out cannot expect to receive organs if they need a transplant. Otherwise, the system will fail and the situation will be worse than at present.

When Mr BW's father died (of heart failure), we had to *beg* the transplant co-ordinator to take his skin, long bones, and corneas - they didn't even ask when he was dead, and he carried a donor card. I know of lots of other cases where exactly the same has happened.

Z said...

You'd be in favour of such legislation then, BW? I'd have thought you would not be.

Anonymous said...

My body is but a shell.

Liam Donaldson about to be on World at One on R4 about this...

Z said...

Indeed and, as I said, I'm happy for any part of mine to be useful to anyone else. But not for the government to assume a right to take it.

And I would be equally against receiving an organ from someone who (or their family on their behalf) had not given consent.

Sir Liam says that relatives should still give their consent in any case, even with a presumption of consent. The programme also says that in the countries where it works, it is the efficient organ retrieval system that is the key. And I completely agree with that.

Z said...

Oh, I didn't finish with Sir Liam. If he's still going to ask the relatives, why risk offending people into opting out? Get the Health Service's act together, and I think there are plenty of potential organs which would willingly be made available.